1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a turntable or lazy susan-type appliance which provides a modular system for dispensing food and attendant fixings such as those that may be dispensed for hot or cold foods.
2. Description of the Related Art
While the use of lazy susans or rotatable trays themselves are relatively known in the art and have been used for long periods of time, particularly in Chinese restaurants, as far as known none have been associated with a various food, including a yogurt, ice cream, hot food, etc. food server. While U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,055 B1, of which the current inventor is a co-inventor therein, describes a turntable cooking and serving appliance, none of the known prior art discloses or teaches a modular system for serving food and attendant food stuffs that acts as an accompaniment to the food.
The problem with serving foods at party functions or circumstances where there are a plurality of people has always been to be able to maintain the food, whether hot, cold or frozen, in a servable condition in proximity to the fixings that would go along with it. The prior art, as far as known, has never combined a modular system, exposed to the ambient surroundings, that would enable cold, frozen, or hot foods to be served and held at an adequate temperature for some period of time to allow service therefrom, for example, ice cream, chili, etc. and the attendant fixings that would go along with it and still allow for easy clean-up after the service has been completed.
It is an object of the invention to provide a relatively low maintenance, easily manufactured turntable-type modular assemblage for the keeping and dispensing of hot, frozen or cold foods, and accompaniments that would normally be associated for serving, for example, crackers for chili and toppings for ice cream.
It is another important object of the invention to provide a modular assemblage of economic construction that lends itself to be utilized at gatherings comprising parties and celebrations.
It is another object of the invention to provide a modular turntable device that is capable of holding and maintaining hot or cooled foods at appropriate temperatures and allows for the easy dispensing thereof along with associated accompaniments.
It is still another important object of the invention to provide an easily constructed, easily cleanable confection dispensing assembly which is easy to use and provides for easy clean-up after use.
It is still another important specific object of the invention to provide an insulated hot or cold food holder that may be either heated in an oven or stored in a freezer after which the same may be removed therefrom and into which hot food or a frozen confection container may be placed and by reason of the insulated material maintains the heated food or frozen confection for a time period to allow serving thereof at ambient temperatures and wherein the container is associated with a plurality and array of containers from which accompaniments such as crackers, chopped onions, grated cheese or toppings and fixings and the like may be dispensed.
It is still a more important, specific object of the invention to provide a hot/cold food container holder which is capable of acting as an insulating or cooling device and wherein it is modularly assembled into a serving assembly which is easy to use, easy to clean up and allows for use by a plurality of individuals regardless of where the assembly is placed.
In its most basic form, the invention is directed to a hot/cold food keeping and serving device comprising a base, an insulating container mounted on the base wherein the insulating container includes a heating or cooling means which most generally takes the form of a gel or other substance that is capable of being heated or frozen so as to keep the heated or frozen food therein at appropriate temperatures, and wherein an annular compartment surrounds the insulating container and is located adjacent to the insulating container and further has a ring mounted within the annular compartment so as to better stabilize and hold a food carton of the conventional type in a secure relationship within the insulating container and which further includes a bearing assembly located between the ring and the annular compartment, with the ring being freely rotatable relative to the base section and the insulating container, much like a lazy susan of the ubiquitous-type provides. A plurality of trays or containers are located within the annular compartment resting on the ring and are rotatable therewith with each of the trays or containers being adapted to contain accompaniments such as, for example, ice cream fixings or toppings where ice cream is the cold or frozen food to be dispensed or, for example, onions, grated cheese, oyster crackers, etc. where chili is the hot food to be dispensed.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the hereinafter following commentary taken in conjunction with the drawings.